will be a difficult year for Italian agri-food, squeezed between inflation and the risk of falling domestic consumption, but the arrival of PNRR investments and the continued growth of exports in the main geographies could allow for greater growth in the sector in the medium term.
The supply chain representatives who will meet at Cibus 2022 will talk about this, from 3rd to 6th of May in Parma, organized by Fiere di Parma and Federalimentare. Cibus is the fair of the Territories: for almost 40 years Parma has celebrated the ability of Made in Italy Food to grow respecting and valuing its tradition and its territories.
Thousands of foreign buyers will finally return to Italy, to the Food Valley, to implement their assortments with authentic Italian products offered by more than 3,000 exhibitors that are unique in the world as the fair that represents them. 50,000 Italian professional operators are already registered in the Distribution and Catering sector, who at Cibus not only serve all their existing and potential suppliers, but also find ideas and solutions for all Food & Beverage channels. About 2,000 top buyers will arrive from the United States of America, Europe, the Middle East, South America and ASEAN. The “Destino Cibus” program is aimed at the main Italian and foreign buyers, with guided tours and thematic itineraries at the fair and in the area, dedicated to typical products, territoriality, out-of-home and sustainability.
There will be approx. thousand new products that food companies are putting on the markets. The general trends are products focused on health and well-being, taste and new combinations of ingredients, and then territoriality and sustainable packaging. The most innovative products will be on display at the regional fair “Cibus Innovation Corner”selected by a jury of experts.
They will be partially destined for export, which has positive aspects, especially with regard to the extra-community area, less penalized by the effects of the war in Ukraine, which in 2021 represented 42.6% of Italian food exports. In particular, the North American market recorded an increase of 14.0% over the previous year.
It should be noted that 2022 is the first edition of Cibus “carbon neutral”. Carbon neutrality is a process that includes measurement missions, identification of a plan to reduce and offset residual emissions through high quality certified carbon credits, which finance climate change mitigation projects and promote sustainable development. The certification was made possible thanks to the partnership between Fiere di Parma and Carbonsink, a leading consulting firm in Italy in the design of climate strategies.
During the Cibus 2022 presentation press conference he spoke Roberto Location, ICE General Manager – Agency: “The ICE Agency has once again accepted Cibus’ invitation to support and accompany Italian companies in the agri-food sector. And it has done so since the preparatory phase of the event and below the date: numerous communication actions in some of the most illustrious food magazines in the world and an entry of 390 between specialized buyers and journalists from the sector from 42 countries. The ICE Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation thus intend to confirm their contribution to support the Italian agri-food sector, which in 2022 aims to consolidate in the traditional outlet markets, the EU, USA and Canada, and those in evolution. like the Gulf countries or, in the Far East, like Japan and China”.
Ivano Vacondio, President of Federalimentare, underlined the importance of Italian food and drink: “If there is one thing that recent years have taught us, it is the importance, often taken for granted, of food and drink. Internally, food and beverages represent a true vector of social cohesion, while if we look at exports, our excellence in the world continues to represent a source of wealth through which we can help the country’s economy. And Cibus, as a showcase for Made in Italy food products, must remind us of this: even in difficult conditions like the one we are facing, it is important to celebrate our products, doing it with Italian and foreign buyers, remembering the great value of what we produce. in economic and social terms”.
On the role of Cibus, Antonio Cellie, CEO of Fiere di Parma, he said: “In the last 2 years Cibus has never stopped: supporting the sourcing of foreign operators with MyBusinessCibus.com; organizing CibusForum in the dramatic 2020, inaugurating the resumption of fairs in September 2021 and presiding over Expo Dubai with its own pavilion. Because for 40 years this has been the mission we have shared with Federalimentare: to defend authentic Italian and support our exports. Cibus 2022 is already back to pre-pandemic levels in terms of quality and quantity of exhibitors, more than 3,000, all strictly Italian, and 70,000 expected visitors, strictly professional, of which more than 10% from abroad; from May 3rd to 5th, once again, the whole world comes to see for itself the miracle of food made in Italy through its tireless undertakings and its wonderful territories”.
Cibus 2022 will be inaugurated by Stefano PatuanelliMinister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies and by Manlio Di Stefano, Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, at the opening conference “The economic and social responsibility of Italian agri-food – How to continue to guarantee access to food and work during and after crises, through a new model of increasingly sustainable development” (to which Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic, was invited).
The main newspapers and the web, television and radio will be present. Rai will be Media Partner of the event, which will be attended by a Radio 24 radio studio, in addition to the main newspapers and publications on the web, television and radio.
The inaugural conference will be followed by the Federalimentare National Assembly and the ICE conference – Agency that will illustrate the new ICE service based on Blockchain technology: it makes an innovative system for tracking the supply chain available free of charge to 300 small and medium-sized industries the Made in Italy and contrast the Italian Sounding.
At Cibus 2022 there will be an “Horeca The Hub Area” dedicated to out-of-home companies, a sales channel that will also be discussed at the conference “The advantages of digital innovation in the out-of-home: personalization and attention to food cost”, with the participation of from JAKALA, the first European MarTech company with strong experience in strategy, data, technology and media, able to help its clients improve their marketing and sales performance with a measurable impact on their revenue. Independent breweries will be present at the fair and the “Beer of the Year” competition will be held.
“Cibus4Sustainability” is the project conceived and organized by Cibus, in collaboration with PwC Italia, on good practices in sustainable industry and distribution, which will be presented in the presence of national and international retailers and large agri-food companies on the 4th of May.
Startups’ product and project innovations will be presented at Le Village by the Crédit Agricole Parma area, with the support of ICE – Agenzia.
The potential of exports will be analyzed at the conference “The dynamics of private labels at an international level”, moderated by Antonio Cellie, CEO of Fiere di Parma, with the participation of Romolo De Camillis, director of retail at Nielsen IQ, companies and distribution brands.
For a complete list of activities and conferences at the fair, see: https://www.cibus.it/progetti-speciali/ and https://www.cibus.it/convegni-2022/
Finally, “Cibus in città” will be held in two special locations in the historic center of Parma: meetings, tastings, shows and gastronomy.